Bruins parade biggest in Boston sports history

If you took a poll of most passionate sports cities in North America, Boston would certainly be in the conversation. Years of futility for every team NOT named the Celtics meant it was a fanbase with plenty of pent up energy as well. But with the Bruins’ Stanley Cup victory, each of the four major sports teams in the city has won a championship in the last ten years. In the Patriots and Red Sox cases—multiple championships.

What a difference a decade makes.

For all of the parades over the last few years, the Boston Police Department has said that Saturday’s “rolling rally” for the Boston Bruins is the largest celebration in the city’s history. It certainly helped that the city of Boston chose to hold the event on a Saturday morning so everyone who wanted to make it to parade could attend. Add almost four decades of building excitement, mix in a beautiful June day in New England, and it should be no surprise that the masses were out in full force.

The best news coming from the parade is that the city was able to host almost a million people without any reported incidents (assuming we don’t classify Brad Marchand rapping an incident). When asked what he expected for the parade, here’s what Cam Neely told reporters:

“Mayhem. These fans have been waiting a long, long time for this. They deserve this. Today’s their day to really celebrate this. It’s going to be great.”

At the rally before the parade, Neely addressed the crowd directly:

“Also, we can’t thank you, the fans, enough,” said Neely. “It’s such a privilege for our players to play in front of you guys. The support you guys give us all year long has been incredible. You guys have waited too long for this. But enjoy it. Enjoy the heck out of this.”

Just about every player, coach, and executive told the crowd that they can’t wait to bring the Cup back again. But after 39 years, it might be a good idea to sit back and enjoy this one for a little while. After today’s parade, the team will be able to do just that. Relax.

Congrats to all the Bruins fans who have been waiting for a long time for this day. If you were able to make it to the parade today in Boston, let us hear your stories in the comments.